Essence of the Holy Qur’an — Page 140
140 Chapter 85 Al-Bur u j U < $ $ X (Revealed before Hijrah) Date of Revelation and Context This S u rah was revealed at Mecca in the first few years of the Call. Its connection with the preceding S u rah , Al-Inshiq a q, is indicated by the fact that in that S u rah the full moon was invoked as a witness, and in the present S u rah 'mansions of stars' and 'the promised day' have been invoked to serve the same purpose. The "Bur u j" or 'mansions of stars' may represent the twelve Divine Reformers ( Mujaddids ), each of whom was raised at the beginning of every century of the Hijrah , and the Promised Day stands for the 14th century of the Hijrah. The S u rah seems to point to the severe persecution to which the followers of the Promised Messiah would be subjected, ending appropriately on the note that because in his time the integrity of the Qur’ a n as God’s revealed Word would be assailed from all quarters, particularly by Christian writers, he would devote all his energies and his great God-given powers to rebut their attacks and to prove its infallibility and inviolability.